Distribution assistance apparatus and distribution assistance method

ABSTRACT

A distribution assistance apparatus and a distribution assistance method are provided. An input and output IF mixes a sound input from an HS microphone or a built-in microphone with a sound signal of distribution data received from a portable terminal and outputs the sound. Even when an addition process or an effect is applied to distribution data in the portable terminal, a sound input from the HS microphone or the built-in microphone can be output through a monitor at that point in time without causing a latency.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of Japan patent application serialno. 2019-215468, filed on Nov. 28, 2019. The entirety of theabove-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by referenceherein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a distribution assistance apparatuswhich is capable of easily performing Internet distribution using adistribution apparatus such as a portable terminal, such as a mobilephone or a tablet, or a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as a“PC”).

Description of Related Art

In recent years, live distribution via the Internet has been booming.Live distribution is performed through a portable terminal such as amobile phone or a tablet, a PC, or the like capable of being connectedto the Internet. In live distribution, distribution has been enhanced bymixing in sound effects such as clapping and drum rolls and mixing inBGM, moving images, and still images with the talk of a broadcaster.

An instruction manual for TASCAM “MiNiSTUDIO CREATOR US-42” of PatentDocument 1 is an instruction manual for such a live distributionapparatus (audio interface).

The live distribution apparatus is provided with an EFFECT button thatimparts an acoustic effect to an input sound and a PON button thatoutputs a sound effect. When the EFFECT button is operated, a soundeffect corresponding to the operation is applied to a sound input to thelive distribution apparatus through a microphone or the like in the livedistribution apparatus. A sound signal having an acoustic effect appliedthereto is output to a PC or the like and is distributed to the Internetvia a PC or the like. In addition, when the PON button is pressed, asound effect which is allocated to the PON button in advance and builtinto the live distribution apparatus is output to a PC or the like andis distributed to the Internet via a PC or the like.

PATENT DOCUMENTS

[Patent Document 1] Instruction Manual for TASCAM “MiNiSTUDIO CREATORUS-42”

SUMMARY

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided adistribution assistance apparatus that instructs a distributionapparatus connected to an Internet and performing Internet distributionof a sound or a video to perform various distribution instructions andperforms Internet distribution using the distribution apparatus, thedistribution assistance apparatus including a sound input unit thatinputs a sound, a sound transmission unit that transmits the sound inputto the sound input unit to the distribution apparatus, an effectinstruction unit that instructs the distribution apparatus to applyeffect processing on the sound transmitted from the sound transmissionunit to the distribution apparatus and perform Internet distribution ofthe sound, a sound reception unit that receives a sound signal on whicheffect processing has been performed by the distribution apparatus inresponse to an instruction of the effect instruction unit, and a soundoutput unit that outputs the sound signal received by the soundreception unit and the sound input to the sound input unit from thedistribution assistance apparatus.

In addition, according to another embodiment of the disclosure, there isprovided a distribution assistance method executed by a distributionassistance apparatus that instructs a distribution apparatus connectedto an Internet and performing Internet distribution of a sound or avideo to perform various distribution instructions and performs Internetdistribution using the distribution apparatus, the distributionassistance method including a sound input step of inputting a sound, asound transmission step of transmitting the sound input through thesound input step to the distribution apparatus, an effect instructionstep of instructing the distribution apparatus to apply effectprocessing on the sound transmitted to the distribution apparatusthrough the sound transmission step and perform Internet distribution ofthe sound, a sound reception step of receiving a sound signal on whicheffect processing has been performed by the distribution apparatus inresponse to an instruction given through the effect instruction step,and a sound output step of outputting the sound signal received throughthe sound reception step and the sound input through the sound inputstep from the distribution assistance apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the appearance of an input and output IFand a portable terminal according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1(b) is aside view of the input and output IF in a direction of Ib in FIG. 1(a).

FIG. 2(a) is a block diagram showing electrical configurations of aninput and output IF and a portable terminal, and FIG. 2(b) is aschematic diagram showing an addition process table.

FIG. 3(a) is a circuit diagram of a sound input circuit, and FIG. 3(b)is a circuit diagram of a sound input circuit in a case where a plug isinserted.

FIG. 4(a) is a circuit diagram of an HS mute circuit, and FIG. 4(b) is aschematic diagram showing a sound processing apparatus.

FIG. 5(a) is a circuit diagram of a sound input circuit in a case wherethe insertion of a plug into a jack is incomplete, and FIG. 5(b) is anenlarged view of a Vb portion in FIG. 5(a).

FIG. 6(a) is a flowchart of main processing in the input and output IF,and FIG. 6(b) is a flowchart of microphone mute processing in the inputand output IF.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operator processing in the input and output IF.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of main processing in a portable terminal.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of event processing in a portable terminal.

FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing the input and output IF and an LCD of aportable terminal, FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing the input and outputIF and the LCD of the portable terminal in a case where an additionbutton of the input and output IF is turned on, FIG. 10(c) a diagramshowing the input and output IF and the LCD of the portable terminal ina case where a user operates the addition button of the LCD, and FIG.10(d) is a diagram showing the input and output IF and the LCD of theportable terminal in a case where the addition button of the input andoutput IF is turned off.

FIG. 11(a) is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of aninput and output IF in a second embodiment, and FIG. 11(b) is a circuitdiagram of a sound input circuit in the second embodiment.

FIG. 12(a) is a schematic diagram showing a sound processing apparatusin a case where a sound signal is input from a built-in microphone, FIG.12(b) is a schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus in acase where a sound signal is input from an HS microphone, and FIG. 12(c)is a schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus in a casewhere the input of a sound signal is blocked.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of microphone mute processing of the input andoutput IF in the second embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

However, since an acoustic effect using an EFFECT button is applied inthe conventional live distribution apparatus by a program built into thelive distribution apparatus in advance, and a sound effect using a PONbutton is built into the live distribution apparatus in advance, thedegree of freedom of the acoustic effects or the sound effects is low.In addition, the live distribution apparatus is complicated, and thecost of the apparatus is high.

Consequently, the applicant of the present application has contrived tooutput a signal indicating which button has been operated to a PC or thelike from a distribution assistance apparatus and generate an acousticeffect or a sound effect in a PC and distribute the acoustic effect orthe sound effect through the Internet without contriving to build aprogram for applying an acoustic effect or build a sound effect into adistribution assistance apparatus that assists live distribution throughthe Internet (not public yet).

However, when a sound input to the live distribution apparatus through amicrophone or the like is output to a PC, an acoustic effect is appliedto the sound in the PC, and the sound having the acoustic effect appliedthereto is distributed to the Internet, fed back to the livedistribution apparatus, and output to a monitor, latency (delay) occursin the output to the monitor, thereby resulting in a problem that abroadcaster (microphone input person) feels uncomfortable.

The disclosure provides a distribution assistance apparatus and adistribution assistance method which are capable of performing monitoroutput without causing latency even when an acoustic effect is appliedto an input sound in a distribution apparatus such as a PC.

Hereinafter, preferred examples will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. FIG. 1(a) is a diagram showing the appearance ofan input and output interface 1 (hereinafter, abbreviated to an “inputand output IF 1”) and a portable terminal 30 according to an embodiment,and FIG. 1(b) is a side view of the input and output IF 1 in a directionof Ib in FIG. 1(a).

The input and output IF 1 is an apparatus (a distribution assistanceapparatus, a signal processing apparatus) that transmits a sound inputfrom a built-in microphone 2 or a headset 50 to be described later to aportable terminal 30 and outputs a sound of distribution data to bedescribed later and input to the input and output IF 1 from the portableterminal 30 to the headset 50. The input and output IF 1 is providedwith a built-in microphone 2 that inputs a sound, addition buttons 3 ato 3 f, an operation button 4, an addition sound volume knob 5, amicrophone sound volume knob 6, and a jack 7 into which a plug 55 of theheadset 50 to be described later is inserted.

The addition buttons 3 a to 3 f are operators that instruct the portableterminal 30 to apply an addition process of adding a sound effect, BGM,or the like to a sound input by the input and output IF 1. An additionprocess such as a sound effect, BGM, a still image, a moving image, or acharacter string (text) is allocated to each of the addition buttons 3 ato 3 f (see FIG. 2(b)).

The operation button 4 is an operator that instructs various operationsother than an addition process, and includes a camera switching button 4a, a distribution start button 4 b, a mute button 4 c, and an effectbutton 4 d. The camera switching button 4 a is an operator thattransmits camera switching information which is an instruction forswitching an acquisition destination of image acquisition in theportable terminal 30 to the portable terminal 30. The camera switchinginformation is provided with three setting values of “image acquisitionfrom a built-in camera 31”, “image acquisition from an external camera60”, and “image acquisition is not performed”, and these setting valuesare switched between and transmitted to the portable terminal 30 everytime the camera switching button 4 a is pressed.

The distribution start button 4 b is an operator that transmits a startinstruction and a termination instruction for distribution to theInternet NT to the portable terminal 30, and the mute button 4 c is anoperator that mutes a sound volume of a sound which is input from thebuilt-in microphone 2 or the headset 50. The effect button 4 d is anoperator that transmits effect instruction information for instructingthe addition of an effect (acoustic effect) such as a delay or a delayor a reverb to a sound which is input from the input and output IF 1 tothe portable terminal 30.

The addition sound volume knob 5 is an operator that sets an additionsound volume which is a sound volume of an addition process which isinstructed by the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f, and the microphone soundvolume knob 6 is an operator that sets a sound volume of a sound whichis input from the built-in microphone 2 or the headset 50 to bedescribed later.

The portable terminal 30 is an information processing apparatus(distribution apparatus) which is connected to the input and output IF 1and includes a built-in camera 31 acquiring an image (video) of a user Hor the like and an LCD 32 that outputs an image, and a smartphone is anexample of the portable terminal 30. The external camera 60 acquiring animage and different from that of the built-in camera 31, and theInternet NT are connected to the portable terminal 30 through wirelesscommunication.

The portable terminal 30 creates distribution data in which theabove-described addition process or the like are added to an imageacquired from the built-in camera 31 or the external camera 60 and asound which is input from the input and output IF 1. The createddistribution data is transmitted (distributed) to the Internet NT and isoutput to the input and output IF 1, and an image of distribution datais displayed on the LCD 32 of the portable terminal 30.

The headset 50 is a sound input and output apparatus which is connectedto the input and output IF 1, and is provided with a left speaker 50 aand a right speaker 50 b which output a sound, a headset microphone 50 c(hereinafter, abbreviated to an “HS microphone 50 c”) which inputs asound, and the plug 55. The plug 55 is a terminal of a cellulartelephone industry association (CTIA) standard, and is provided with aleft terminal 55L to which the left speaker 50 a is connected from a tipend thereof, a right terminal 55R to which the right speaker 50 b isconnected, a ground terminal 55G to which a ground GND (see FIG. 3(a))is connected, and a microphone terminal 55M to which the HS microphone50 c is connected.

The input and output IF 1 is also configured such that a headphone 57formed by omitting the microphone 50 c from the headset 50 is alsousable. In a case where the headphone 57 is connected to the input andoutput IF 1, a sound of the user H or the like is input from thebuilt-in microphone 2 of the input and output IF 1 instead of the HSmicrophone 50 c.

Next, electrical configurations of the input and output IF 1 and theportable terminal 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2(a) and2(b) to FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b). FIG. 2(a) is a block diagram showingelectrical configurations of the input and output IF 1 and the portableterminal 30. The input and output IF 1 includes an MCU 10 which is anarithmetic apparatus that controls each unit thereof, and a soundprocessing apparatus 11, a built-in mute circuit 12, an HS mute circuit13, a plug detection circuit 14, an HS microphone detection circuit 15,the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f, the operation button 4, the additionsound volume knob 5, the microphone sound volume knob 6, and acommunication apparatus 16 for communicating with the portable terminal30 (specifically, a communication apparatus 38 to be described later)are connected to the MCU 10.

The sound processing apparatus 11 is an apparatus that controls theinput and output of a sound signal. The left speaker 50 a, the rightspeaker 50 b, and the HS microphone 50 c of the headset 50 are connectedto the sound processing apparatus 11 through the left terminal 55L, theright terminal 55R, and the microphone terminal 55M (see FIG. 1(b)) ofthe plug 55, and the built-in microphone 2 is also connected thereto.

The built-in mute circuit 12 is a circuit that mutes the built-inmicrophone 2 by blocking a sound signal from the built-in microphone 2on the basis of an instruction given from the MCU 10, and the HS mutecircuit 13 is a circuit that mutes the HS microphone 50 c by blocking asound signal from the HS microphone 50 c on the basis of an instructiongiven from the MCU 10. The plug detection circuit 14 is a circuit thatdetects the insertion of the plug 55 into the input and output IF 1, andthe HS microphone detection circuit 15 is a circuit that detects theconnection of a microphone contact point CM in the jack 7 to bedescribed later.

A circuit constituted by the built-in microphone 2, the sound processingapparatus 11, the built-in mute circuit 12, the HS mute circuit 13, theplug detection circuit 14, and the HS microphone detection circuit 15 isa sound input circuit Si. Here, details of the sound input circuit Siwill be described with reference to FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) and FIGS. 4(a)and 4(b).

FIG. 3(a) is a circuit diagram showing the sound input circuit Si, andFIG. 3(b) is a circuit diagram showing the sound input circuit Si in acase where the plug 55 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 3(a), the soundinput circuit Si mainly includes the jack 7, the built-in microphone 2,the MCU 10, the sound processing apparatus 11, the built-in mute circuit12, and the HS mute circuit 13.

The jack 7 is provided with a left contact point CL to be connected tothe left terminal 55L of the plug 55, a right contact point CR to beconnected to the right terminal 55R, a ground contact point CG to beconnected to the ground terminal 55G and a ground GND, and themicrophone contact point CM to be connected to the microphone terminalM.

The sound processing apparatus 11 is provided with a left output portLout and a right output port Rout which are output ports from which leftand right sound signals are output, and a first input port M1, a secondinput port M2, and a third input port M3 which are input ports to whicha sound signal is input. In the present embodiment, the built-inmicrophone 2 and the microphone contact point CM are connected to thefirst input port M1, and the built-in microphone 2, the microphonecontact point CM, and other input apparatuses are not connected to thesecond input port M2 and the third input port M3.

The left output port Lout of the sound processing apparatus 11 isconnected to the left contact point CL of the jack 7 through anamplifier a1, and the right output port Rout of the sound processingapparatus is connected to the right contact point CR through anamplifier a2. Thereby, sound signals from the left output port Lout andthe right output port Rout of the sound processing apparatus 11 areoutput to the left terminal 55L and the right terminal 55R.

The microphone contact point CM of the jack 7 is connected to the firstinput port M1 of the sound processing apparatus 11 through an amplifiera3. An amplifier a4 is connected to the built-in microphone 2, and theamplifier a4 is further connected between the amplifier a3 and the firstinput port M1. Thereby, sound signals from the microphone terminal 55Mof the plug 55 and the built-in microphone 2 are input to the firstinput port M1.

The right contact point CR of the jack 7 is mechanically connected to aterminal D through an insulator E. The terminal D is connected to theMCU 10, and a bias voltage B1 (for example, 3.3 V) is connected betweenthe terminal D and the MCU 10 through a resistor R1. In addition, acontact point C1 to be connected to the ground GND is disposed on theterminal D. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), the contact point C1 isconfigured to come into contact with the terminal D in a case where theplug 55 is removed and the right contact point CR does not come intocontact with the plug 55, and is configured not to come into contactwith the terminal D in a case where the plug 55 is inserted and theright contact point CR comes into contact with the plug 55.

Therefore, in a case where the plug 55 is removed from the jack 7, thecontact point C1 comes into contact with the terminal D, so that avoltage from the bias voltage B1 is input to the ground GND through theterminal D and the contact point C1, and a voltage of “low” is input tothe MCU 10. On the other hand, in a case where the plug 55 is insertedinto the jack 7, the contact point C1 does not come into contact withthe terminal D, and the terminal D is blocked from the ground GND, sothat a voltage of “high” from the bias voltage B1 is input to the MCU10. In this case, since the right contact point CR, the terminal D, andthe MCU 10 are electrically connected by the insulator E, a voltage fromthe right contact point CR is not input to the MCU 10, and a voltagefrom the bias voltage B1 is not input to the right contact point CRthrough the terminal D.

Further, in the MCU 10, it is possible to determine whether or not theplug 55 has been inserted by confirming whether a voltage from the biasvoltage B1 is high or low. Such a detection circuit constituted by theresistor R1, the bias voltage B1, and the contact point C1 correspondsto the “plug detection circuit 14” in FIG. 2(a).

A bias voltage B2 (for example, 2.5 V) is connected between themicrophone contact point CM and the amplifier a3 through a resistor R2.Further, connection points of the amplifier a3 and the resistor R2 areconnected to the MCU 10 through an operational amplifier OP. In a casewhere the HS microphone 50 c (see FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) and FIG. 2(a)) isincluded and the plug 55 includes the microphone terminal M, themicrophone terminal M is connected to the microphone contact point CM ofthe jack 7. In this case, a voltage from the bias voltage B2 is dividedinto the resistor R2 and an impedance of the HS microphone 50 c andinput to the MCU 10.

On the other hand, in the plug 55 in a case where the HS microphone 50 cis not included, the ground terminal 55G of the plug 55 is integratedwith the microphone terminal 55M and is set to be in a short-circuitstate, and thus the ground terminal 55G is connected to the groundcontact point CG of the jack 7 and is also connected to the microphonecontact point CM. Therefore, a voltage which is input from the biasvoltage B2 to the MCU 10 is set to 0 V.

Therefore, it is possible to detect whether or not the HS microphone 50c is included, that is, whether or not the microphone terminal M hascome into contact with the microphone contact point CM by determiningwhether or not the value of a voltage to be input to the MCU 10 from thebias voltage B2 exceeds a threshold value (for example, 1.0 V). Such adetection circuit constituted by the resistor R2 and the bias voltage B2corresponds to the “HS microphone detection circuit 15” in FIG. 2(a).

In addition, the built-in mute circuit 12 is connected between thebuilt-in microphone 2 and the amplifier a4, and the HS mute circuit 13is connected between the amplifier a3 and the first input port M1. Thebuilt-in mute circuit 12 and the HS mute circuit 13 are connected to theMCU 10. Details of the built-in mute circuit 12 and the HS mute circuit13 will be described with reference to FIG. 4(a).

FIG. 4(a) is a circuit diagram of the HS mute circuit 13. Meanwhile,since the built-in mute circuit 12 and the HS mute circuit 13 have thesame configuration, only the HS mute circuit 13 will be described below,and the built-in mute circuit 12 will not be described. The HS mutecircuit 13 is constituted by a resistor R3, a bias voltage B3 (forexample, 3.3 V), a transistor T1, and a transistor T2.

The MCU 10 is connected to a base of the transistor T1 through theresistor R3. The bias voltage B3 is connected to an emitter of thetransistor T1, and a collector of the transistor T1 is connected to abase of the transistor T2. A collector of the transistor T2 is connectedbetween the microphone contact point CM of the jack 7 and the firstinput port M1 of the sound processing apparatus 11 (specifically,between the amplifier a3 and the first input port M1 in FIG. 3(a)), andan emitter of the transistor T2 is connected to the ground GND.

In the HS mute circuit 13 configured in this manner, when a low voltageis applied to the base of the transistor T1 from the MCU 10, a voltagefrom the bias voltage B3 is input to the base of the transistor T2through the collector and the emitter of the transistor T1. Then, asound signal which is input from the microphone contact point CM isinput to the ground GND through the collector and the emitter of thetransistor T2. Thereby, a sound signal which is input from themicrophone contact point CM is blocked from the first input port M1. Onthe other hand, in a case where a voltage is not input to the base ofthe transistor T1 from the MCU 10, a sound signal from the microphonecontact point CM is input to the first input port M1.

In this manner, since the HS mute circuit 13 is configured to be able toblock only a sound signal which is input from the microphone contactpoint CM, other inputs and outputs of the built-in microphone 2 or thelike with respect to the sound processing apparatus 11 are not affectedeven when the input and blocking of a sound signal of the microphonecontact point CM with respect to the first input port M1 are switchedbetween by the HS mute circuit 13. Similarly, since the built-in mutecircuit 12 is also configured to be able to block only a sound signalwhich is input from the built-in microphone 2, other inputs and outputswith respect to the sound processing apparatus 11 are not affected evenwhen the input and blocking of a sound signal from the built-inmicrophone 2 with respect to the first input port M1 are switchedbetween.

Next, an input and output relationship between the first input port M1of the sound processing apparatus 11 and the left and right output portsLout and Rout will be described with reference to FIG. 4(b). FIG. 4(b)is a schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus 11. Asshown in FIG. 4(b), the sound processing apparatus 11 in the presentembodiment is configured such that a sound signal from the first inputport M1 can be output from the left output port Lout and the rightoutput port Rout. Thereby, a sound which is input from the HS microphone50 c of the headset 50 can be immediately output from the left speaker50 a and the right speaker 50 b.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, in the sound processingapparatus 11, the left output port Lout and the right output port Routare configured to be able not only to output a sound signal which isinput from the first input port M1 but also to output a mixture of othersound signals, for example, a sound signal of distribution data receivedfrom the portable terminal 30 to be described later and a sound signalwhich is input from the first input port M1.

In this manner, in a case where the insertion of the plug 55 into thejack 7 is incomplete when a sound signal from the first input port M1can be output from the left output port Lout and the right output portRout, noise from the left speaker 50 a and the right speaker 50 b of theheadset 50 may be output. A mechanism of generation of such noise willbe described with reference to FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b).

FIG. 5(a) is a circuit diagram of the sound input circuit Si in a casewhere the insertion of the plug 55 into the jack 7 is incomplete, andFIG. 5(b) is an enlarged view of a Vb portion in FIG. 5(a). While theplug 55 is extracted or inserted from or into the jack 7, the leftterminal 55L, the right terminal 55R, and the ground terminal 55G of theplug 55 and the microphone terminal M are not completely connected tothe left contact point CL, the right contact point CR, the groundcontact point CG, and the microphone contact point CM of the jack 7,respectively, even though the plug 55 is inserted into the jack 7.

Particularly, as shown in FIG. 5(a), the left terminal 55L may beconnected to the right contact point CR, the ground contact point CG maybe connected to an insulator between the left terminal 55L and the rightterminal 55R, and the ground terminal 55G may be connected to themicrophone contact point CM. In such a case, a sound signal from theright output port Rout of the sound processing apparatus 11 is input tothe left terminal 55L from the right contact point CR.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5(b), the left terminal 55L and the groundterminal 55G of the plug 55 are connected to each other through avirtual resistor 55VR1 based on the left speaker 50 a (see FIGS. 1(a)and 1(b) and FIG. 2(a)). Therefore, a sound signal from the leftterminal 55L is input to the ground terminal 55G through the resistor55VR1, is input to the microphone contact point CM from the groundterminal 55G, and is input to the first input port M1 from themicrophone contact point CM. As described above in FIG. 4(b), a soundsignal which is input from the first input port M1 is output to theright output port Rout and input to the right contact point CR and theleft terminal 55L again.

In this manner, a sound signal from the left terminal 55L is repeatedlyinput to the microphone contact point CM to cause “howling”, and thusthe sound signal becomes an improper sound signal including noise. Sincesuch an improper sound signal is output to the left speaker 50 a fromthe left terminal 55L, noise which is unpleasant for the user H isoutput from the left speaker 50 a.

Consequently, in the present embodiment, in a case where the plug 55 isdetected by the plug detection circuit 14 and the connection of themicrophone contact point CM is detected by the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15, an improper sound signal which is input from the microphonecontact point CM is blocked by operating the HS mute circuit for twoseconds, and the output of noise to the user H due to the improper soundsignal is curbed.

Referring back to FIG. 2(a), the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f mentionedabove are respectively provided with an LED 3 a 1 to an LED 3 f 1. TheLED 3 a 1 to the LED 3 f 1 are configured such that the turn-on andturn-off thereof are controllable, and the turn-on and turn-off of theLEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1 are controlled in response to a turn-on instructionor a turn-off instruction received from the portable terminal 30.

The portable terminal 30 includes a CPU 33, a flash ROM 34, and a RAM35, which are connected to an input and output port 37 through a busline 36. The communication apparatus 38 communicating with thecommunication apparatus 16 of the input and output IF 1, a wirelesscommunication apparatus 39 performing wireless communication with anInternet NT and external camera 60, the built-in camera 31, the LCD 32,and a touch panel 40 are further connected to the input and output port37.

The CPU 33 is an arithmetic apparatus that controls each unit which isconnected by the bus line 36. The flash ROM 34 is a rewritablenon-volatile storage device that stores programs executed by a CPU 10,fixed value data, and the like, and stores a control program 34 a and anaddition button table 34 b. When the control program 34 a is executed bythe CPU 33, main processing in FIG. 8 is executed. The addition buttontable 34 b is a data table in which turn-on and turn-off states of theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f and allocated addition processes are stored.The addition button table 34 b will be described with reference to FIG.2(b).

FIG. 2(b) is a schematic diagram showing the addition button table 34 b.As shown in FIG. 4(b), turn-on and turn-off states and additionprocesses in the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and addition buttons 32 ato 32 f to be described later (see FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d)) andcorresponding to the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f on the LCD 32 arestored in the addition button table 34 b.

In FIG. 2(b), “BGM1” is allocated as an addition process of the additionbuttons 3 a and 32 a, “moving image 1” is allocated as an additionprocess of the addition buttons 3 b and 32 b, “sound effect 1” isallocated as an addition process of the addition buttons 3 c and 32 c,“still image 1” is allocated as an addition process of the additionbuttons 3 d and 32 d, “sound effect 2” which is a sound effect differentfrom the “sound effect 1” is allocated as an addition process of theaddition buttons 3 e and 32 e, and “text 1” is allocated as an additionprocess of the addition buttons 3 f and 32 f.

Referring back to FIG. 2(a), the RAM 35 is a rewritable memory thatstores various work data, a flag, and the like when the CPU 33 executesthe control program 34 a, and is provided with an input sound memory 35a in which a sound received from the input and output IF 1 is stored, adistribution data memory 35 b in which the above-described distributiondata is stored, a camera mode memory 35 c in which the above-describedcamera switching information received from the input and output IF 1 isstored, and an addition sound volume memory 35 d in which theabove-described addition sound volume received from the input and outputIF 1 is stored.

The touch panel 40 is an input apparatus that inputs a touchedpositional signal to the portable terminal 30 in response to a touchoperation of the user H, and the above-described LCD 32 and touch panel40 are provided so as to be superimposed on each other.

Next, a process executed by the MCU 10 of the input and output IF and aprocess executed by the CPU 33 of the portable terminal 30 will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b) to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d).FIG. 6(a) is a flowchart of main processing in the input and output IF1. The main processing of the input and output IF 1 is processingexecuted after power is supplied to the input and output IF 1. First,the main processing of the input and output IF 1 performs microphonemute processing (S1). The microphone mute processing will be describedwith reference to FIG. 6(b).

FIG. 6(b) is a flowchart of microphone mute processing in the input andoutput IF 1. First, the microphone mute processing confirms whether ornot the plug detection circuit 14 has detected the insertion of the plug55 (S10). In the process of S10, in a case where the plug detectioncircuit 14 has detected the insertion of the plug 55 (S10: Yes), it isconfirmed whether or not the HS microphone detection circuit 15 hasdetected the connection of the microphone contact point CM (S11).

In the process of S11, in a case where the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15 has detected the connection of the microphone contact pointCM (S11: Yes), it is confirmed whether or not the HS microphonedetection circuit 15 has just detected the connection of the microphonecontact point CM (S12). Specifically, it is confirmed whether or not theconnection of the microphone contact point CM has not been detected bythe HS microphone detection circuit 15 in the previous microphone muteprocessing and the connection of the microphone contact point CM hasbeen detected by the HS microphone detection circuit 15 in the presentmicrophone mute process.

In the process of S12, in a case where the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15 has just detected the connection of the microphone contactpoint CM (S12: Yes), it is a timing when an input destination of a soundof the sound processing apparatus 11 is switched from the built-inmicrophone 2 to the HS microphone 50 c, and thus the built-in mutecircuit 12 is operated first, and the built-in microphone 2 is muted(S13).

After the process of S13 is performed, the HS mute circuit 13 isoperated, a sound signal which is input from the microphone contactpoint CM is blocked from the first input port M1, and the HS microphone50 c is muted (S14). After the process of S14 is performed, a waitingprocess is performed for two seconds (S15), and thereafter, the HS mutecircuit 13 is stopped to recover the input of a sound signal to thefirst input port M1 from the microphone contact point CM and cancel themuting of the HS microphone 50 c (S16).

That is, when the HS microphone detection circuit 15 has just detectedthe connection of the microphone contact point CM (S11: Yes), themicrophone contact point CM is not connected to the microphone terminal55M of the plug 55 in the extraction and insertion of the plug 55 withrespect to the jack 7 as described above in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), andthus there is a concern that the microphone contact point CM may beconnected to another terminal such as the ground terminal 55G.

In such a case, it is possible to prevent an improper sound signal fromthe microphone contact point CM from being output from the left speaker50 a and the right speaker 50 b of the headset 50 through the rightoutput port Rout and the left output port Lout by blocking a soundsignal input from the microphone contact point CM from the first inputport M1 of the sound processing apparatus 11 for two seconds by the HSmute circuit 13. Thereby, it is possible to prevent unpleasant noisecaused by the improper sound signal from being output to the user H.

In addition, a period of time from the blocking of the sound signal fromthe microphone contact point CM to the cancellation of the blocking isset to two seconds. Therefore, a period of time required for theextraction and insertion of the plug 55 with respect to the jack 7 issecured by such two seconds. Thus, even when an improper sound signal isinput from the microphone contact point CM during the extraction andinsertion, it is possible to sufficiently prevent the improper soundsignal from becoming unpleasant noise and being output to the user H.

Here, since the microphone mute processing of S1 is repeatedly performedas will be described later, the HS microphone 50 c is muted and themuting is cancelled two seconds later through S14 to S16 only just afterthe HS microphone detection circuit 15 has detected the connection ofthe microphone contact point CM (S12: Yes), so that it is possible toprevent the muting of the HS microphone 50 c and the cancellation ofmuting from being repeatedly executed in a state where the connection ofthe microphone contact point CM has been detected.

In a case where the plug detection circuit 14 has not detected theinsertion of the plug 55 in the process of S10 (S10: No) or in a casewhere the HS microphone detection circuit 15 has not detected theconnection of the microphone contact point CM in the process of S11(S11: No), it is a timing when an input destination of a sound of thesound processing apparatus 11 is switched from the HS microphone 50 c tothe built-in microphone 2 due to complete removal of the plug 55 fromthe jack 7, and thus the HS mute circuit 13 is operated to mute the HSmicrophone 50 c (S17) and the built-in mute circuit 12 is stopped tocancel the muting of the built-in microphone 2 (S18).

In the process of S12, in a case where the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15 has not just detected the connection of the microphonecontact point CM (S12: No), the processes of S13 to S16 are skipped.After the processes of S12, S16, and S18 are performed, the microphonemute processing (S1) is terminated, and the flowchart returns to themain processing of FIG. 6(a).

After the microphone mute processing (S1) of S1 is performed, operatorprocessing (S2) is executed. The operator processing will be describedwith reference to FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of operator processing in the input and output IF1. In the operator processing, first, it is confirmed whether or not anyone of the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f has been pressed (S30). In theprocess of S30, when the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f have been pressed(S30: Yes), pressing information of the pressed addition buttons 3 a to3 f is transmitted to the portable terminal 30 (S31). In the process ofS30, in a case where the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f have not beenpressed (S30: No), the process of S31 is skipped.

After the processes of S30 and S31 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not a turn-on instruction or a turn-off instruction for theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f has been received from the portable terminal30 (S32). In the process of S32, in a case where a turn-on instructionfor the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f has been received (S32: “turn-oninstruction”), the LEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1 of the addition buttons 3 a to 3f for which a turn-on instruction has been given are turned on (S33). Ina case where a turn-off instruction for the addition button 3 has beenreceived (S32: “turn-off instruction”), the LEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1 forwhich a turn-off instruction has been given are turned off (S34). In theprocess of S32, in a case where a turn-on instruction or a turn-offinstruction has not been received (S32: “not received”), the processesof S33 and S34 are skipped.

After the processes of S32 to S34 are performed, it is confirmed whetheror not the effect button 4 d has been pressed (S35). In the process ofS35, in a case where the effect button 4 d has been pressed (S35: Yes),effect instruction information is transmitted to the portable terminal30 (S36). In a case where the effect button 4 d has not been pressed(S35: No), the process of S36 is skipped.

After the processes of S35 and S36 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not the camera switching button 4 a has been pressed (S37).In the process of S37, in a case where the camera switching button 4 ahas been pressed (S37: Yes), the above-described camera switchinginformation is transmitted to the portable terminal 30 (S38). A settingvalue of the camera switching information transmitted in the process ofS38 is switched whenever the camera switching button 4 a is pressed, andspecifically, switching is repeatedly performed in an order of “imageacquisition from the built-in camera 31”→“image acquisition from theexternal camera 60”→“image acquisition is not performed”, “imageacquisition from the built-in camera 31”→. . . . On the other hand, in acase where the camera switching button 4 a has not been pressed (S37:No), the process of S38 is skipped.

After the processes of S37 and S38 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not a sound volume of the addition sound volume knob 5, thatis, an addition sound volume has changed from the execution of theprevious operator processing (S39). In the process of S39, in a casewhere the addition sound volume has changed (S39: Yes), the additionsound volume is transmitted to the portable terminal 30 (S40). In a casewhere the addition sound volume has not changed (S39: No), the processof S40 is skipped. After the processes of S39 and S40 are performed, theoperator processing is terminated, and the flowchart returns to the mainprocessing of FIG. 6(a).

After the operator processing of S2 is performed, a sound input to thesound processing apparatus 11, that is, a sound input from the HSmicrophone 50 c of the headset 50 or the built-in microphone 2 istransmitted to the portable terminal 30 (S3). Meanwhile, in the processof S3, a sound input to the sound processing apparatus 11 may betransmitted to the portable terminal 30 without going through the MCU10. After the process of S3 is performed, distribution data to bedescribed later is received from the portable terminal 30 (S4).

After the process of S4 is performed, a sound obtained by adding a soundinput by the sound processing apparatus 11 to a sound of the receiveddistribution data is output from the sound processing apparatus 11 (S5).Specifically, a sound signal is extracted from the received distributiondata and is input to the sound processing apparatus 11, and a soundsignal obtained by mixing the sound signal and a sound signal input fromthe first input port M1 with each other is output from the left outputport Lout and the right output port Rout in the sound processingapparatus 11. After the process of S5 is performed, the process of S1and the subsequent processes are repeated.

Next, the processing of portable terminal 30 will be described withreference to FIG. 8 to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d). FIG. 8 is a flowchart ofmain processing in the portable terminal 30. The main processing of theportable terminal 30 is executed in a case where an instruction forexecuting the control program 34 a has been given from the touch panel40.

In the main processing of the portable terminal 30, first, it isconfirmed whether or not an instruction for changing an addition processof the addition button table 34 b has been given from the touch panel 40(S50). In the process of S50, in a case where an instruction forchanging an addition process has been given (S50: Yes), the changedaddition process acquired from the touch panel 40 is set to be anaddition process of the corresponding addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and 32a to 32 f of the addition button table 34 b (S51). In the process ofS50, in a case where an instruction for changing an addition process hasnot been given (S50: No), the process of S51 is skipped.

After the processes of S50 and S51 are performed, a sound is acquiredfrom the input and output IF 1 and is stored in the input sound memory35 a and the distribution data memory 35 b (S52). After the process ofS52 is performed, event processing is executed (S53). The eventprocessing will be described with reference to FIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of event processing in a portable terminal. In theevent processing, first, it is confirmed whether or not pressinginformation of the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f has been received fromthe input and output IF 1 or the addition buttons 32 a to 32 f on theLCD 32 have been pressed in the touch panel 40 (S70). Here, arelationship between the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f of the input andoutput IF 1 and the addition buttons 32 a to 32 f on the LCD 32 will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 10(a).

FIG. 10(a) is a diagram showing the input and output IF 1 and the LCD 32of the portable terminal 30. The addition buttons 32 a to 32 f aredisplayed below the LCD 32. The addition button 32 a to the additionbutton 32 f respectively correspond to the addition buttons 3 a to 3 fof the input and output IF 1 mentioned above. In the process of S70 inFIG. 9, the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f of the input and output IF 1 arepressed, so that it is confirmed whether or not pressing information hasbeen transmitted in the process of S31 in FIG. 7 or whether or not theaddition buttons 32 a to 32 f on the LCD 32 have been pressed throughthe touch panel 40.

Referring back to FIG. 9, in a case where pressing information of theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f has been received from the input and outputIF 1 in the process of S70 or in a case where the addition buttons 32 ato 32 f on the LCD 32 have been pressed (S70: Yes), the states of thecorresponding addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 f of theaddition button table 34 are confirmed (S71).

In the process of S71, in a case where the corresponding additionbuttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 f of the addition button table 34 arein an off state (S71: “off”), the corresponding addition buttons 3 a to3 f and 32 a to 32 f of the addition button table 34 are set to be in anon state (S72). In addition, the corresponding addition buttons 32 a to32 f on the LCD 32 are selectively displayed (S73), and a turn-oninstruction for the corresponding addition buttons 3 a to 3 f istransmitted to the input and output IF 1 (S74).

On the other hand, in the process of S71, in a case where thecorresponding addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 f of theaddition button table 34 are in an on state (S71: “on”), thecorresponding addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 f of theaddition button table 34 are set to be in an off state (S75), theselective display of the addition buttons 32 a to 32 f on the LCD 32 iscancelled (S76), and a turn-off instruction for the correspondingaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f is transmitted to the input and output IF 1(S77). The processes of S71 to S77 will be described again withreference to FIGS. 10(a) to 10(d).

FIG. 10(b) is a diagram showing the input and output IF 1 and the LCD 32of the portable terminal 30 in a case where the addition button 3 f ofthe input and output IF 1 is turned on, FIG. 10(c) is a diagram showingthe input and output IF 1 and the LCD 32 of the portable terminal 30 ina case where the user H operates the addition button 32 f of the LCD 32,and FIG. 10(d) is a diagram showing the input and output IF 1 and theLCD 32 of the portable terminal 30 in a case where the addition button 3f of the input and output IF 1 is turned off.

First, in FIG. 10(a), the user H applies text display processingallocated to the addition button 3 f, and thus the user presses theaddition button 3 f of the input and output IF 1. Thereby, the additionbuttons 3 f and 32 f of the addition button table 34 are set to be in anon state through the process of S72 of FIG. 9.

In addition, the addition button 32 f on the LCD 32 corresponding to theaddition button 3 f is selectively displayed through the process of S73(FIG. 10(b)). Text T is displayed on the LCD 32 through the process ofS58 in FIG. 8 to be described later. Further, a turn-on instruction forthe addition button 3 f is transmitted to the input and output IF 1through the process of S74 in FIG. 9, and the input and output IF 1having received the turn-on instruction turns on the LED 3 f 1 of theaddition button 3 f through the process of S33 in FIG. 7. The user H canconfirm that the text display processing has been applied from both theinput and output IF 1 and the portable terminal 30 by the turn-on of theLED 3 f 1 of the addition button 3 f and the selective display of theaddition button 32 f on the LCD 32.

Thereafter, since the user H cancels the text display processing, theaddition button 32 f on the LCD 32 is pressed (FIG. 10(c)). Thereby, theaddition buttons 3 f and 32 f in the addition button table 34 are set tobe in an off state through the process of S75 in FIG. 9, the selectivedisplay of the addition button 32 f is cancelled through the process ofS76 (FIG. 10(d)), and text T is set to be in a non-display state on theLCD 32 through the process of S58 in FIG. 8 to be described later. Inaddition, a turn-off instruction for the addition button 3 f istransmitted to the input and output IF 1 through the process of S77 inFIG. 9, and the LED 3 f 1 is turned off through the process of S34 inFIG. 7.

Since turn-on and turn-off states of the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and32 a to 32 f are unitarily managed by the addition button table 34, itis possible to synchronize turn-on and turn-off states of additionprocesses allocated to the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 fand the turn-on and turn-off states of the LEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1 of theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f corresponding thereto and the selectivedisplay states of the addition buttons 32 a to 32 f with each other.Thereby, even when the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f are pressed or theaddition buttons 32 a to 32 f on the LCD 32 are pressed, the sameoperations are performed, and thus it is possible to improve usabilityof the input and output IF 1 and the portable terminal 30.

Referring back to FIG. 9, in a case where pressing information of theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f has not received from the input and outputIF 1 and in a case where the addition buttons 32 a to 32 f on the LCD 32have not been pressed in the process of S70 (S70: No), the processes ofS71 to S77 are skipped.

After the processes of S70, S74, and S77 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not the above-described effect instruction information hasbeen received from the input and output IF 1 (S78). In the process ofS78, in a case where the effect instruction information has beenreceived (S78: Yes), a sound obtained by performing effect (acousticeffect) processing such as a reverb or a delay on a sound of the inputsound memory 35 a to the distribution data memory 35 b (S79). On theother hand, in a case where the effect instruction information has notbeen received (S78: No), the process of S79 is skipped.

After the processes of S78 and S79 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not the above-described camera switching information has beenreceived from the input and output IF 1 (S80). In the process of S80, ina case where the camera switching information has been received (S80:Yes), the received camera switching information is stored in the cameramode memory 35 c (S81). In the process of S80, in a case where thecamera switching information has not been received (S80: No), theprocess of S81 is skipped.

After the processes of S80 and S81 are performed, it is confirmedwhether or not an addition sound volume has been received from the inputand output IF 1 (S82). In the process of S82, in a case where theaddition sound volume has been received (S82: Yes), the receivedaddition sound volume is stored in the addition sound volume memory 35 d(S83). In a case where the addition sound volume has not been received(S82: No), the process of S83 is skipped. After the processes of S82 andS83 are performed, the event processing is terminated, and the flowchartreturns to the main processing of FIG. 8.

After the event processing of S53 is performed, an image is acquiredfrom a camera corresponding to the value of the camera mode memory 35 c(S54). Specifically, an image is acquired from the built-in camera 31 ina case where “image acquisition from the built-in camera 31” is set inthe camera mode memory 35 c, and an image is acquired from the externalcamera 60 in a case where “image acquisition from the external camera60” is set. On the other hand, in a case where “image acquisition is notperformed”, a black image, that is, a blank image is obtained instead ofimages acquired from the built-in camera 31 and the external camera 60.Such a value of the camera mode memory 35 c is switched whenever thecamera switching button 4 a of the input and output IF 1 is pressed, andthus it is possible to easily change over an acquisition destination ofan image without performing a complicated operation on the portableterminal 30.

After the process of S54 is performed, an image acquired in the processof S54 is added to the distribution data memory 35 b (S55). After theprocess of S55 is performed, it is confirmed whether or not there is aneffective addition process in the addition button table 34 b, that is,an addition process which is set to be in an on state among the additionbuttons 3 a to 3 f and 32 a to 32 f in the addition button table 34 b(S56).

In the process of S56, in a case where there is an effective additionprocess (S56: Yes), an effective addition process is acquired from theaddition button table 34 b, and a sound volume of the addition processis adjusted to an addition sound volume of the addition sound volumememory 35 d and is then applied to distribution data of the distributiondata memory 35 b (S57). On the other hand, in a case where there is noeffective addition process in the process of S56 (S56: No), the processof S57 is skipped.

After the processes of S56 and S57 are performed, distribution data ofthe distribution data memory 35 b is distributed on the Internet NTthrough the wireless communication apparatus 39 and transmitted to theinput and output IF 1, and an image of the distribution data isdisplayed on the LCD 32 (S58). After the process of S58 is performed,the process of S50 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

A sound signal of the distribution data which is transmitted to theinput and output IF 1 through the process of S58 is mixed with a soundinput from the HS microphone 50 c or the built-in microphone 2 and isoutput through the process of S5 in FIG. 6(a) described above. Aprocessing time for applying an addition process or an effect isrequired until the sound input from the HS microphone 50 c or thebuilt-in microphone 2 is processed as distribution data in the portableterminal 30 and output to the input and output IF 1. Therefore, alatency (delay) occurs before a sound of distribution data based on thesound is output from the input and output IF 1 after the sound is inputto the input and output IF 1.

Consequently, the sound input from the HS microphone 50 c or thebuilt-in microphone 2 is mixed with the sound signal of the distributiondata and is output, so that even when an addition process or an effectis applied to the distribution data by the portable terminal 30, a soundinput from the HS microphone 50 c or the built-in microphone 2 at thatpoint in time can be output through a monitor without causing a latency.Thereby, the user H can speak or sing without feeling uncomfortable bylistening to such an output through the monitor.

At the same time, the sound signal of the distribution data is alsooutput through the monitor, so that the user H can confirm adistribution data addition process and the degree of an effect at anytime by confirming the output through the monitor. Since the outputsthrough the monitor can be performed by the same left speaker 50 a andright speaker 50 b, it is possible to improve usability of the input andoutput IF 1 and the portable terminal 30 by the user H.

Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.11(a) and 11(b) to FIG. 13. In the above-described first embodiment, asound signal input from the microphone contact point CM is blocked fromthe sound processing apparatus 11 by the HS mute circuit 13, so that animproper sound signal from the microphone contact point CM is preventedfrom being output from the right output port Rout and the left outputport Lout of the sound processing apparatus 11.

On the other hand, in the second embodiment, a built-in microphone 2 andan HS microphone 50 c are connected to different input ports in a soundprocessing apparatus 11, and an input port for inputting a sound to thesound processing apparatus 11 is appropriately switched, so that a soundsignal which is input from a microphone contact point CM is preventedfrom being output from a right output port Rout and a left output portLout. In the second embodiment, the same portions as those in theabove-described first embodiment will be denoted by the same referencenumerals and signs, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 11(a) is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of aninput and output IF 100 in the second embodiment, and FIG. 11(b) is acircuit diagram of a sound input circuit Si of the input and output IF100 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), in thesound input circuit Si of the second embodiment, a built-in mute circuit12 and an HS mute circuit 13 are omitted from the sound input circuit Siof the first embodiment in FIGS. 2(a) and 3(a). In addition, thebuilt-in microphone 2 is connected to a first input port M1 of the soundprocessing apparatus 11 through an amplifier a4, and the microphonecontact point CM is connected to a second input port M2 of the soundprocessing apparatus 11 through an amplifier a3. On the other hand, thebuilt-in microphone 2, the microphone contact point CM, and other inputapparatuses are not connected to a third input port M3.

Next, switching between input ports in the sound processing apparatus 11will be described with reference to FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c). FIG. 12(a) isa schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus 11 in a casewhere a sound signal is input from the built-in microphone 2, FIG. 12(b)is a schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus 11 in acase where a sound signal is input from the HS microphone 50 c, and FIG.12(c) is a schematic diagram showing the sound processing apparatus 11in a case where the input of a sound signal is blocked.

As shown in FIGS. 12(a) to 12(c), the sound processing apparatus 11 isprovided with an input switching SW that switches an input port forinputting a sound signal from the sound processing apparatus 11 to oneport among a first input port M1, a second input port M2, and a thirdinput port M3.

In a case where the input switching SW is switched to the first inputport M1 (FIG. 12(a)), a sound signal input from the built-in microphone2 is input to the sound processing apparatus 11. In a case where theinput switching SW is switched to the second input port M2 (FIG. 12(b)),a sound signal input from the HS microphone 50 c is input to the soundprocessing apparatus 11. In a case where the input switching SW isswitched to the third input port M3 (FIG. 12(c)), the input of a soundsignal is blocked.

In the second embodiment, the input switching SW is appropriatelychanged over in microphone mute processing to be described later so asto perform switching between whether a sound signal is input to thesound processing apparatus 11 from the built-in microphone 2, whether asound signal is input from the HS microphone 50 c, and whether the inputof a sound signal to the sound processing apparatus 11 is blocked.

Next, a flowchart of microphone mute processing of the input and outputIF 100 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.13. In the microphone mute processing of the second embodiment, in acase where an HS microphone detection circuit 15 has just detected theconnection of the microphone contact point CM in the process of S12(S12: Yes), the input port of the sound processing apparatus 11 isswitched to the third input port M3 by the input switching SW (S100).Thereby, the input of a sound signal to the sound processing apparatus11 is blocked, and the built-in microphone 2 and the HS microphone 50 care muted.

After the process of S100 is performed, a waiting process is performedfor two seconds (S15), and thereafter, the input port of the soundprocessing apparatus 11 is switched to the second input port M2 by theinput switching SW (S101). Thereby, a sound signal is input to the soundprocessing apparatus 11 from the microphone contact point CM, and thusonly the muting of the HS microphone 50 c is cancelled.

In the process of S12, in a case where the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15 has not just detected the connection of the microphonecontact point CM (S12: No), the processes of S100 to S101 are skipped.

In the process of S11, in a case where the HS microphone detectioncircuit 15 has not just detected the connection of the microphonecontact point CM (S11: No), the input port of the sound processingapparatus 11 is switched to the first input port M1 by the inputswitching SW (S102). Thereby, only the muting of the built-in microphone2 is cancelled.

As described above, in the input and output IF 100 of the secondembodiment, an input port for inputting a sound signal in the soundprocessing apparatus 11 is switched to the third input port M3 after theHS microphone detection circuit 15 has just detected the connection ofthe microphone contact point CM, so that a sound signal input from themicrophone contact point CM is blocked. Thereby, it is possible toprevent an improper sound signal input from the microphone contact pointCM from being output from a left speaker 50 a and a right speaker 50 bof a headset 50.

In this manner, the blocking of a sound signal input from the microphonecontact point CM can be realized by only switching an input port forinputting a sound signal inside the sound processing apparatus 11.Thereby, it is not necessary to provide another circuit or apparatussuch as the built-in mute circuit 12 or the HS mute circuit 13 in thefirst embodiment, and thus manufacturing costs of the input and outputIF 100 can be reduced.

Although description has been given on the basis of the above-describedembodiments, it can be easily inferred that various improvements andmodifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, a sound signal input from themicrophone contact point CM is blocked, so that an improper sound signalis prevented from being output from the left speaker 50 a and the rightspeaker 50 b of the headset 50 through the right output port Rout andthe left output port Lout. However, the disclosure is not necessarilylimited thereto, and a sound signal output from the right output portRout and the left output port Lout is blocked from the left contactpoint CL and the right contact point CR, so that an improper soundsignal may be prevented from being output from the left speaker 50 a andthe right speaker 50 b of the headset 50.

In such a case, for example, as in the first embodiment, the samecircuit as the HS mute circuit 13 is provided between the right outputport Rout and the left output port Lout and between the left contactpoint CL and the right contact point CR, so that a sound signal outputfrom the right output port Rout and the left output port Lout may beblocked from the left contact point CL and the right contact point CR.

In addition, as in the second embodiment, an output port in the soundprocessing apparatus 11 is switched to an output port different from theright output port Rout and the left output port Lout, so that a soundsignal output from the right output port Rout and the left output portLout may be blocked from the left contact point CL and the right contactpoint CR.

In the above-described embodiment, in the process of S58 in FIG. 8,distribution data of the distribution data memory 35 b is transmitted tothe input and output IF 1 as it is. However, the disclosure is notnecessarily limited thereto, and distribution data obtained by excludinga sound of the input sound memory 35 a from the distribution data of thedistribution data memory 35 b may be transmitted to the input and outputIF 1 in the process of S58. Thereby, in the process of S5 of the inputand output IF 1 in FIG. 6(a), in a case where a sound input by the soundprocessing apparatus 11 is mixed with a sound of distribution data andis output, the same sound as the sound input by the sound processingapparatus 11 is excluded, and thus it is possible to curb a situationwhere the same sound as a sound input by the sound processing apparatus11 is output twice.

In the above-described embodiment, distribution data created by theportable terminal 30 is distributed to the Internet NT, but thedisclosure is not limited thereto. For example, distribution data may bestored in the flash ROM 34 or the RAM 35 of the portable terminal 30.Further, the distribution data stored in the flash ROM 34 or the RAM 35may be edited and then distributed to the Internet NT.

In the above-described embodiment, the input and output IFs 1 and 100are provided with the built-in microphone 2 and are configured such thatthe HS microphone 50 c can be connected thereto. However, the disclosureis not necessarily limited thereto, and a configuration may be adoptedin which the built-in microphone 2 is omitted from the input and outputIFs 1 and 100, a sound is input from only the HS microphone 50 c, andanother sound input apparatus different from the HS microphone 50 c canbe connected to the input and output IFs 1 and 100.

In the above-described embodiment, a waiting process is performed fortwo seconds in the process of S15 in FIG. 6(b) and FIG. 13. However, aperiod of time for which a waiting process is performed is not limitedto two seconds and may be two seconds or more or two seconds or less.However, it is preferable that the period of time be limited to a periodof time between one second and two seconds.

In the above-described embodiment, a configuration is adopted in whichan image is acquired from either the built-in camera 31 or the externalcamera 60 in the portable terminal 30, but the disclosure is not limitedthereto. An image may be acquired from both the built-in camera 31 andthe external camera 60, and an image obtained by lining two acquiredimages up may be used to create distribution data.

In the above-described embodiment, the addition buttons 3 a to 3 f areprovided with the LEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1. However, the disclosure is notlimited thereto, and the LEDs 3 a 1 to 3 f 1 may be omitted from theaddition buttons 3 a to 3 f. In addition, the camera switching button 4a, the distribution start button 4 b, the mute button 4 c, and theeffect button 4 d may be provided with an LED, and the turn-on orturn-off thereof may be switched in accordance with the states of thebuttons.

In the above-described embodiment, the portable terminal 30 which is asmartphone is described as an example of an information processingapparatus (distribution apparatus). However, the disclosure is notlimited thereto, and other information processing apparatuses such as atablet terminal and a personal computer may be used.

In the above-described embodiment, the input and output IFs 1 and 100are provided with the sound input circuit Si, but the disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, the sound input circuit Si may be providedin any of other apparatuses, such as a mobile phone and a portableelectronic game machine, which input a sound through the plug 55 of theheadset 50.

In the above-described embodiment, a terminal of a CTIA standard isdescribed as an example of the plug 55, but the disclosure is notlimited thereto. For example, a terminal of an open mobile terminalplatform (OMTP) standard may be used, or terminals of other standardsmay be used.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view ofthe foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modificationsand variations provided that they fall within the scope of the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A distribution assistance apparatus thatinstructs a distribution apparatus connected to an Internet andperforming Internet distribution of a sound or a video to performvarious distribution instructions and performs Internet distributionusing the distribution apparatus, the distribution assistance apparatuscomprising: a sound input unit that inputs a sound; a sound transmissionunit that transmits the sound input to the sound input unit to thedistribution apparatus; an effect instruction unit that instructs thedistribution apparatus to apply effect processing on the soundtransmitted from the sound transmission unit to the distributionapparatus and perform Internet distribution of the sound; a soundreception unit that receives a sound signal on which effect processinghas been performed by the distribution apparatus in response to aninstruction of the effect instruction unit; and a sound output unit thatoutputs the sound signal received by the sound reception unit and thesound input to the sound input unit from the distribution assistanceapparatus.
 2. The distribution assistance apparatus according to claim1, further comprising: a musical sound output instruction unit thatinstructs a piece of music or a musical sound of a sound effect to beoutput to the distribution apparatus through Internet distribution; anda sound volume adjustment unit that adjusts a sound volume of themusical sound which is instructed to be output to the distributionapparatus by the musical sound output instruction unit, wherein thesound reception unit receives the musical sound, as the sound signal,which is instructed to be output to the distribution apparatus by themusical sound output instruction unit and of which a sound volume isadjusted by the sound volume adjustment unit, and the sound output unitoutputs the sound signal received by the sound reception unit from thedistribution assistance apparatus.
 3. The distribution assistanceapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution apparatus isconfigured to be capable of distributing images input from two or morecameras provided inside or outside the distribution apparatus throughInternet distribution, and the distribution assistance apparatus furthercomprises a camera switching instruction unit that instructs switchingof a camera to be used for Internet distribution to the distributionapparatus.
 4. The distribution assistance apparatus according to claim1, further comprising: a distribution start instruction unit thatinstructs start of Internet distribution, a moving image outputinstruction unit that instructs output of a moving image throughInternet distribution, a still image output instruction unit thatinstructs output of a still image through Internet distribution, and acharacter string display instruction unit that instructs display of acharacter string through Internet distribution as distributioninstructions given to the distribution apparatus, wherein an instructingfunction of each of the distribution start instruction unit, the movingimage output instruction unit, the still image output instruction unitand the character string display instruction unit is visually displayed.5. The distribution assistance apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe distribution apparatus is a portable terminal capable of processinga sound or a video.
 6. The distribution assistance apparatus accordingto claim 1, wherein the sound input unit comprises a built-in microphoneand a jack into which a plug for inputting and outputting a sound signalis inserted.
 7. The distribution assistance apparatus according to claim1, wherein the sound transmission unit comprises a communicationapparatus communicating with the distribution apparatus.
 8. Thedistribution assistance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thesound reception unit comprises a communication apparatus communicatingwith the distribution apparatus.
 9. The distribution assistanceapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sound output unit comprisesa jack into which a plug for inputting and outputting a sound signal isinserted.
 10. A distribution assistance method executed by adistribution assistance apparatus that instructs a distributionapparatus connected to an Internet and performing Internet distributionof a sound or a video to perform various distribution instructions andperforms Internet distribution using the distribution apparatus, thedistribution assistance method comprising: a sound input step ofinputting a sound; a sound transmission step of transmitting the soundinput through the sound input step to the distribution apparatus; aneffect instruction step of instructing the distribution apparatus toapply effect processing on the sound transmitted to the distributionapparatus through the sound transmission step and perform Internetdistribution of the sound; a sound reception step of receiving a soundsignal on which effect processing has been performed by the distributionapparatus in response to an instruction given through the effectinstruction step; and a sound output step of outputting the sound signalreceived through the sound reception step and the sound input throughthe sound input step from the distribution assistance apparatus.
 11. Thedistribution assistance method according to claim 10, furthercomprising: a musical sound output instruction step of instructing apiece of music or a musical sound of a sound effect to be output to thedistribution apparatus through Internet distribution; and a sound volumeadjustment step of adjusting a sound volume of the musical sound whichis instructed to be output to the distribution apparatus through themusical sound output instruction step, wherein the sound reception stepcomprises receiving the musical sound, as the sound signal, which isinstructed to be output to the distribution apparatus through themusical sound output instruction step and of which a sound volume isadjusted through the sound volume adjustment step, and the sound outputstep comprises outputting the sound signal received in the soundreception step from the distribution assistance apparatus.
 12. Thedistribution assistance method according to claim 10, wherein thedistribution apparatus is configured to be capable of distributingimages input from two or more cameras provided inside or outside thedistribution apparatus through Internet distribution, and thedistribution assistance method further comprises a camera switchinginstruction step of instructing switching of a camera to be used forInternet distribution to the distribution apparatus.
 13. Thedistribution assistance method according to claim 10, furthercomprising: a distribution start instruction step of instructing startof Internet distribution, a moving image output instruction step ofinstructing output of a moving image through Internet distribution, astill image output instruction step of instructing output of a stillimage through Internet distribution, and a character string displayinstruction step of instructing display of a character string throughInternet distribution as distribution instructions given to thedistribution apparatus, wherein an instructing function of each of thedistribution start instruction step, the moving image output instructionstep, the still image output instruction step and the character stringdisplay instruction step is visually displayed.
 14. The distributionassistance method according to claim 10, wherein the distributionapparatus is a portable terminal capable of processing a sound or avideo.
 15. The distribution assistance method according to claim 10,wherein the sound input step is performed by a built-in microphone ofthe distribution assistance apparatus or by inserting a plug forinputting and outputting a sound signal into a jack of the distributionassistance apparatus.
 16. The distribution assistance method accordingto claim 10, wherein the sound transmission step is performed throughcommunication with the distribution apparatus.
 17. The distributionassistance method according to claim 10, wherein the sound receptionstep is performed through communication with the distribution apparatus.18. The distribution assistance method according to claim 10, whereinthe sound output step is performed by inserting a plug for inputting andoutputting a sound signal into a jack of the distribution assistanceapparatus.